Say hello to my little friend

I'd like to introduce everyone to my new best friend, kale. I never thought I'd like kale. In fact, I was pretty sure I'd hate it. It just looks like it'd be bitter and nasty. But you know what? Kale is AWESOME!



Kale can be made into scrumptious chips, as demonstrated above. The taste is similar to potato chips but they're much healthier. All you do is rinse, dry, and pull apart the kale, drizzle some EVOO, sprinkle some sea salt and maybe some cracked black pepper, and bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes, or until the edges start turning brown. Yummm. They're very fragile when you take them out, so be careful when you're storing them. They have such a surprisingly good taste to them!

My second experiment with kale was an even bigger success:



This is wilted kale cooked with onions, half a granny smith apple, some dried cranberries, and sprinkled with some slivered almonds. Oh. My. Goodness. I was in love once I tasted this. The cranberries and the apples take over the taste of the kale, so that instead of bitterness, you're left with a pleasant sweetness. I ate about 1/3 of this and saved the rest for later in the week, but I'm really tempted to eat all of it now for dessert! Imagine that - kale for dessert! No joke, though - this was incredible!

I spent the rest of my afternoon making a half batch of homemade bagels:


(gettin chubby)


Boiled, baked and beautiful!

My bagel shaping skills really need to be sharpened, but who really cares as long as they taste awesome? Actually, I shaped them a lot better this time than in previous attempts, but they stuck to my counter when it was time to boil them, thus rendering them nearly shapeless. Still, they're awesome and I can't wait until later in the week to have one!

Now to backtrack...
When I got home Friday afternoon I was excited to see a FedEx package waiting for me by my door. What could it be?





After seeing these lovelies on several peoples' blogs, I decided to write to the company (One Natural Experience, or O.N.E.) to see if I could possibly score some coupons or maybe a free sample. I certainly wasn't expecting 12 samples!! Lucy was kind enough to send me three samples of each flavor, to make a full case!

It's time for their close-ups:


Amazon Acai - according to the O.N.E. website, this drink:
May help combat premature aging
May help increase energy levels
May improve mental clarity


Cashew Juice - the site says it could:
soothe the throat
calm the stomach
promote healthy skin


Coffee Berry Juice - O.N.E. states the antioxidants in this might help:
Fight the buildup of free radicals
Protect against oxidative stress

And finally...

The ever-popular Coconut Water, about which it is said:
O.N.E.™ Coconut Water is excellent for replacing lost
electrolytes from exercise or illness
O.N.E.™ Coconut Water is an all-natural sports/energy drink
O.N.E.™ Coconut Water is a natural isotonic beverage – contains a similar level of electrolytes found in human blood.
O.N.E.™ Coconut Water may help promote smoother,
more hydrated skin
O.N.E.™ Coconut Water is non-allergenic
O.N.E.™ Coconut Water is rich in potassium. Potassium helps regulate blood pressure and heart function
O.N.E.™ Coconut Water is an effective oral rehydration medium and keeps the body cool.

I'm beyond excited to try all these flavors out, especially the Coffee Berry! I'd never heard of such a thing until I started seeing this stuff on other blogs. A HUGE thank you to Lucy and the O.N.E. crew for sending that over to me! Product reviews to come as I try em!

It's been quite the busy weekend, what with baking, cooking, the excitement of new products, and a visit to my parents! I even managed to squeeze in a MUCH-needed haircut! (Dude, $2.99 at a place called Great Clips! It was their Grand Opening, so I literally got a haircut for $2.99 (plus a generous tip, of course!)... How sweet is that?!) Since Desperate Housewives is a) on late and b) a repeat, I'm heading off to read the 4th Twilight book and rest up for our competitive volleyball game tomorrow! Hooray for Mondays!! :)

i got a new attitude... and food!

Afternoon, all! The past week or so has been quite a whirlwind, but it’s all been pretty good. I started getting to work at or before 8 am, so I’ve been leaving around 4 and going straight to the gym. Yesterday was just fantastic because I was home from the gym by 6:30, and by 9 I had gotten in a full day of work, a really good workout, watched a movie, cooked, ate dinner, baked brownies, got my stuff ready for today, washed dishes, checked in with my parents, solidified weekend plans, and caught up on blog reading. Whew! I’ve been really productive! Maybe this waking up early thing isn’t so bad after all…
 
Lunch today was totally new for me – an Amy’s Indian Samosa Wrap and Fantastic World Foods Vegetarian Great Lakes Cheddar Broccoli soup. Sorry, no pics – I had to pick the one cell phone that doesn’t have a camera on it. I was pleasantly surprised at the Amy’s Samosa Wrap – the ingredients included tofu and my experience thus far with tofu has been less than stellar (though not awful enough for me to blacklist it yet). The wrap was slightly smaller than I’d expected, but it was bursting with flavorful goodness! I couldn’t taste the tofu at all, and didn’t even notice the texture of it since it was mixed with potatoes. It didn’t taste exactly like samosas from an Indian restaurant, but they were a much healthier and equally tasty alternative. The Cheddar Broccoli soup, on the other hand, got a big thumbs down. To be fair, the package was a little expired. I tried to eat it, and managed to get nearly halfway through, but I had to throw it out before I threw it up. Blech. I also sneaked in a Champagne Mango from WF since I had seen them featured on eatliverun.com (sorry, can’t do hyperlinks when I post from work). Luckily, the mango made up for the soup and I was sated. :)
 
It seems like any time I lift weights at the gym I become abnormally ravenous the next day. I lifted Wednesday and yesterday and I just COULD NOT stop eating yesterday! I think I planned better for today, but still – I’m anticipating a hefty snack before dinner tonight.
 
My plan to clean out my freezer and pantry by eating everything up is coming along swimmingly. In fact, I’ve started doing the same thing with my drawers at work – I’ve been giving away some of the food and trying to eat up the rest that I’ve neglected. A lot of the food is expired (hence today’s soup at lunch), but I’m trying to eat it anyway. Safe, right?
 
I have to get a bunch of stuff done, so I gotta run. I’ll probably be heading to my parents’ house this weekend, so yippee for free food!


Have a great weekend!

if you got money and you know it, take it out your pocket and show it and throw it!

I learned something very important and profound today. You know that sinking feeling you get when you look at your checkbook balance and discover that no matter how much you scrimp and save, you’re never going to get ahead? For some unknown reason, I got that same feeling when I realized today that it’s “actually going to be okay.” Thanks to my tax return, this has been the first month since buying the house that I haven’t had to take money out of my savings to pay my bills. It’s crazy, but I’m somewhat confused and unwilling to believe that it’s going to be fine. Maybe I just need more time to process this. I mean, I haven’t felt “safe” since July. My nerves have kind of gotten used to the frenzied pace of bank-to-bank transfers. I’m not sure how to chill out.
 
I’ve been on a strange Joan Jett kick lately. Especially the song “Do you wanna touch me there (Oh Yeah).” It’s like crack to my ears. Ear crack. It makes me want to go run. Awesome.
 
I’ve also been on a gorgonzola kick… like, I’m craving mold. How weird is that? I wonder if it has anything to do with the new Joan Jett obsession?
 
Last night was our first match in the competitive volleyball league. We played at the Downtown YMCA, which was quite an experience. First off, let me just say that I HATE going into Downtown Pittsburgh. Really hate it. I avoid it at all costs. Second, I’m stubborn and I absolutely flat-out REFUSE to pay for parking unless I’m spending the entire day somewhere. What kind of parking is available downtown? Parking garages and metered parking. Aargh! Luckily, our game wasn’t until 8 and parking is free after 6 or so. Still, it took me a good 15 minutes to find a spot, nevermind the nearly half hour it took me to get there from Point Breeze. I am NOT thrilled with this arrangement. I don’t know what I’m going to do when we have games at 6 – I’ll have to leave work by 5 to be absolutely sure I get there in time (and I’ll have to pay for parking, at least a little bit of it).
Anyways, the game was GREAT!! We lost the first 2 games, but won the last one. And you know what? It might be heresy, but I’m kind of glad we lost. Don’t get me wrong – I don’t want us to lose all our games and I’m definitely not sabotaging us. What I mean is that I think our egos needed to be taken down a peg. I didn’t have any high expectations for this league – in fact, I was so nervous before our game yesterday that I literally couldn’t speak. One of my teammates showed up early to watch the other teams with me and I was the absolute worst conversationalist ever. However, once we started playing, everything changed. The game really wasn’t that much more difficult than our more challenging Rec league games. And the scores were ridiculously close – we went into extra points the first game and lost the 2nd only by 2 points (the minimum by which the games must be won). AND we played really well. Even I played really well for once – I was all over the court (in a good way), got all my serves in, was ready for anything, and I even got a hit in! I was so proud of our team that I sent a kind of emotional email to all my teammates after our game… I almost ended it by telling everyone I loved them, haha. It was a fantastic night, and I’m super excited for our next game!
 
As a result of a combo of my nervousness/tenseness last night and my high-energy game, I was EXHAUSTED last night. I haven’t been that tired in so long! I tried to read a chapter of my book before bed and it took all my strength to keep my eyes open. I fell asleep really quickly and really didn’t want to get up this morning – I was so comfy! But I hauled myself out of bed and managed to make it into work by 8:07 – for the second time this week! I’m trying really hard to come in earlier to work so that I can get out earlier and enjoy the sunshine and warmer weather. Trying to balance gym time with my desire to be outdoors is killing me! It’s like there’s never enough time in the day!
 
Ooh, and I’m potentially going to the PUMP/PSL happy hour tonight at Buffalo Blues! Yay! Hopefully if I go, I can be one of the first 100 through the door so I can get a free beer. Mmm, free!
 
I suppose I should get back to work. Have a great week everyone!

if i had my little way, i'd eat peaches everyday

Pears are the weirdest fruit, in my opinion. I mean, they look like apples and the taste isn’t entirely dissimilar. But they’re NOT apples, and the texture is rougher, grainier. And then you have to wonder, what really GOES with pears? Almond butter? Cinnamon sugar? Nothing?
 
It’s been a very “fruitful” week for me (pun intended), and I suppose that’s a good thing. Except I cut into a spectacular-looking peach two days ago and was completely crestfallen when I saw that it had rotten from the inside out. Ick. I stocked up on plums at Aldi’s Tuesday and I have to say, these are by far the best plums I’ve ever had in my entire life – they’re so juicy and sweet; they’re absolutely perfect. While buying the plums, I noticed some bundles of asparagus and decided to add them to my too-full armload. I’ve only tried asparagus one other time, when my friend Andy made me try it while we were still in college (about [eek!] six years ago). I was pleasantly surprised by the taste, but I still haven’t had any since then. Hopefully I’ll get a chance to make it tonight.
 
In my rapidly accelerating excitement over the warmer temperatures, I haven’t been to the gym since Monday evening. Tuesday night I took a long walk around my neighborhood and several surrounding neighborhoods and last night I went to the Highland Park sand volleyball courts to do some practicing... and some pooper-scooper-ing. As I’ve mentioned before, despite the sign on the gate leading into the courts that states no dogs are allowed inside the courts, there are dog turds EVERYWHERE. So I went to the courts prepared – all kitted out with a garden shovel and a strong plastic bag. I scooped up one court, but the other one is still covered. Scooping someone else’s dog’s poop so you can practice your serve? THAT’S hardcore.
 
Oh, and I don’t know if I mentioned it before, but I got my new heart rate monitor pedometer watch in the mail on Saturday!! I was so excited to get it that I put it on immediately and walked around my house, counting my steps and taking note of my mph. It’s pretty sweet! My new goal of sorts, though “unofficial,” is to take at least 10,000 steps throughout the day. It’s pretty rough when you have a sedentary job, but it’s not too bad. It equals out to roughly an hour of walking + going through my day normally. And I’m probably getting a lot more than 10,000 because I keep turning the pedometer off and forgetting to turn it back on. Oh well. I think I’m doing better with it today – it’s 1 pm and I’ve gotten in 2,752 steps so far… a quarter of the way there!
 
As for the date I had Friday, it went really well! We met at Mad Mex and I had a large Shamrockin’ Rita frozen margarita and about ¼ of my spicy Mad Mex chicken burrito – it was HUMONGOID!!! I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a huge burrito! It was really yummy, though, and I ended up eating the leftovers for two additional meals. I went to his place on Monday night and he cooked baked ziti for me. He used to work as a restaurant chef before becoming an electrical engineer, so his ziti was REALLY good. I was definitely impressed. We also had a bottle of beer from the Great Lakes Brewing Co. – I think it was called Black Out Stout. It was one of the best dark beers I’ve ever had – it tasted just like a shot of espresso! It was another good date. He’s supposed to come over to my place this weekend, but I may have to cancel – I might have to go home for a family thing.
 
I should probably do more work now… things have been absolutely ridiculous at work, hence why I haven’t had a chance to write anything lately. Today is finally a little more manageable. I have no idea where the rest of my week went.
 
And I have to give a shout-out to the birthday girl, Lori! Today’s her birthday and she didn’t even get to take a full half day… but she got yummy food and awesome cookies to make up for the craziness! Hope you have fun tonight, Lori! :)
 
Have a good day/night, everyone!

Go go Speedracer!

I was so excited because it was warm this morning and it became sunny… but then it also became cold! I had planned on going to the sand courts to practice my serves, do some running drills, etc., but I only brought shorts and a tank. Guess that’s out. :(
 
Tomorrow’s the big game! Hopefully it’ll be 2 games! We play a team we’ve beaten before, but they were a challenge the first time around. I don’t think they’ll be any less difficult tomorrow. Then, if we beat them, we’ll likely be playing the #1 team from the other division, who is coincidentally undefeated. However, I’ve seen some of their competition and fully understand why they’re undefeated – they’re good, that’s a definite, but they haven’t played any really challenging teams this year. With a lot of luck and a lot of hard work, I’m sure we can win the whole dang thing!
 
I was so proud of myself Monday and yesterday because I FINALLY broke through my speed barrier. I had been stuck on doing super-slow 12-13 minute miles and I had remained relatively content – after all, I’m not a natural runner and I was just proud of myself for being able to run at all. However, Monday night I took a huge leap and ran an 11-minute mile!! That’s kind of an estimate, but I was running between 5.2 and 5.6 mph the entire time, with a good half a mile or more at 5.6 mph.  I know that’s not really fast for most people, but like I said, I’m just proud that I’m able to do it at all. :)
 
Also at the gym on Monday, I was unexpectedly asked out on a date! Remember the guy I played volleyball with at the gym a couple weeks ago, who also plays in the PSL league? Well, he asked me out to dinner! I was totally shocked, and I remember having a totally blank look on my face after he asked me. Like, “Uhh… me? Dinner?” I mean, no one ever asks me out! I’m pretty much the most standoffish person in the history of the world. I was just flabbergasted. So that should be interesting.
 
Since my plans to play in the sand have been thwarted, I might head over to the Market District Giant Eagle tonight. It’s been a looooong time since I’ve been there and I miss it. I plan on finding the whole wheat Fig Newtons I keep reading about and some 100-calorie bags of Kettle Corn. Never mind that I’m not really into popcorn…I just keep spotting it everywhere I turn and it’s driving me nuts. I even popped a bag that expired on Nov. 18 2007 today.
 
Oh, if only I could leave work now…

nan you're a window shopper

Quick weekend recap, then I'm off to bed! I can't seem to get my body attuned to one less hour today, even though I've been looking forward to today since we turned the clocks back. I love me some daylight. But I also love me some sleep. My body's just confused.

Today was my first "Day of Funk" for 2009. I'm sure there will be many more to come, but today was just the perfect occasion. What is this "Day of Funk?" Basically, I woke up at noon (actually, 8:30, then fell asleep and re-woke intermittently until noon when I forced myself out of bed), did not wash my hair, did not get out of pajamas, did not go to the gym, did not eat anything healthy, and basically did not do anything productive. In short, I was a scuzzball. When I forced myself out of bed around noon to get some Puffins, I immediately realized the day was going to suck because a.) it was POURING outside; b.) my vb team was supposed to meet at the HP sand courts for a practice but we canceled it due to the rain; c.) about 30 minutes after canceling our practice, it became sunny outside (though not long enough for a practice); and d.) I had some wicked crampage going on. Blah. Instead of being a productive member of society, I read a little, slept a little, watched a little tube, caught up on some blog reading, and made some beer bread and lemon cupcakes with lemon buttercream frosting.


Homemade beer bread.


My tray of lemony goodness.


I garnished them with perfect little blueberries. I wanted to use strawberries, but I ran out on Friday.



Ironically, the cupcakes LOOK good, but taste kind of off... they have a weird consistency. They taste good enough, but still, they're different. The beer bread also tasted kind of strange, but in a good way. It almost tasted like biscuits. Strange. Maybe my taster's off...?

Anyways, Saturday I took myself on a mini shopping spree/tour. I headed down to the Strip District and reveled in the craziness. One of my first stops was Wholey's, which is famous for its uber-fresh seafood and eclectic offerings:


Yes, the fish are still swimming, waiting to be taken home and fried up (or baked, or grilled
...)


There's a large variety of fish available - this picture doesn't do the place justice at all.


Sleepin' with the fishes...


These big suckers were kind of creepy.


Mmm, who doesn't love some Beef Tongue?


Or better yet, Tripe?

Once I turned the corner from the crazy meats, I found this glorious statue of goodness:

It was difficult, but I managed to restrain myself.

And finally, as I was about to leave, I found the one thing I was really SEARCHING for this weekend:


This isn't a McGinnis Sisters-sized little "sampler" bottle... this is the real deal. Mmm, it makes my mouth water just thinking about it!

When I left Wholey's, I was immediately greeted by this display:


That just ain't right. It's just downright mean. Keep walking, Lindsay, keep walking.

I mosied down to the Oriental grocery store and picked up some goodies for some future dinners:


That's Pad Thai sauce, Kung Pao sauce, and Large Rice Noodles. Yum.

Also:


Super-cute chopsticks for the next time I make sushi. So cheap!

I doubled back to put my purchases in my car, then realized all the shopping was making my tummy growl. By sheer coincidence, I realized this as soon as I stopped in front of Sunseri's bakery... where they have breads, rolls, and pizzas galore being sold on the sidewalk. I caved and got a piece of "pizza" on Sunseri's bread:


It. Was. Huge. Seriously. This is it folded over - the guy seriously gave me the biggest piece available. And guess how much money? $1. Rock. Frickin. On.

I stopped in Mon Aime Chocolat and sampled Rosemary Goat Milk Gelato, but they don't allow pictures. Plus, the sample ended up in my mouth pretty quickly. It was different, but it was REALLY good. My next stop was La Prima for an iced coffee since my pizza made me thirsty, but while trying to get my camera out of my bag, half of my coffee spilled all over me. Smooth move, and yet, classic Lindsay.

My last stop of the day was the Pittsburgh Popcorn Company - a place I've heard a lot about, but never had the urge to try. The thing that drew me in was the sign proclaiming the flavor of the day to be HAZELNUT NUTELLA POPCORN. Gasp!!




Mmmmmm nutellllllllaaaaaaaaa...

I'm not big on popcorn, but that's some quality crack right there. Crack doesn't come cheap, though - my small bag of popcorn cost me $4.25! Definitely a splurge item. But it was pretty great.

When I left the Strip, this was the temperature, per my car:


Not bad for the first week of March in Pittsburgh!

On the way home I passed the new Children's Hospital in Lawrenceville. It looks pretty cool and reminds me of the Centre Pompidou in Paris with all the crazy colors:




You know you've got skillz when you can take decent pictures while driving. :)

I also decided to make a very important pit-stop:


Highland Park Sand Volleyball Courts


The gate was unlocked! Yay! Look at all that beautiful sand!

But wait a second... what's all that stuff in the sand?




I love that I took not one, but TWO pictures of dog poop. Only me.

And then there's this pretty obvious sign right at the entrance:


Hmm...

Speaking of volleyball, you can't really tell from the picture below, but my hand is a lovely shade of eggplant:


Thank you, super-hard volleyball from Thursday night's game.

I made a few more stops Saturday, including Dunham's, Target, and Dick's. I got these beauties:


New Camelbak! ARGYLE! How cool is that?!


Ultra-cool kids' Peanuts toothbrushes... bet you wish you had a small mouth too, right? This was the bargain of the day at a whopping $1.02 for TWO toothbrushes! Hot dang! Also, I hate to admit it, but they DO work a whole lot better in my mouth.

And finally:



What you see above is two things: 1. my beautiful new volleyball with pretty blue flowers; and 2. what I call my "baby harness." You know how some parents have those leashes or harnesses that they put on their small children (and some older children... I've seen it) when they go to the mall? Yeah, well, they make them for volleyballs too. And since I think of my volleyball as my baby, it's only fitting that I should get it a harness so that I never lose it again. Actually, my baby harness has a practical purpose (and a more appropriate name): it's a "Practice Pal." Basically, this is supposed to enable you to practice by yourself without having to constantly chase your ball. Perfecto. Just what I needed. I was so excited to try it, I used it in my "dining room" AKA room with absolutely ZERO furniture (nope, not even a table). I think my baby harness was meant to be used outside or in a gym, though. It has quite a bounce-back.

Lastly, I tried to kill myself by going on a 30-minute, almost entirely uphill (and HUGE uphills) bike ride on Saturday.



By the time I was walking (yep, I couldn't even ride the last one) my bike up the last hill to my house, I was literally WHEEZING. I don't know if I've ever wheezed before. I seriously contemplated lying down in the middle of the road. It. Was. Torture. And yet, once I had regained consciousness on my kitchen floor, I couldn't wait to do it again. Sometimes I think I'm completely insane.

I seriously need to hit some hay. Like now.

it feels like the first time... it feels like the very first time!

First things first: WE WON!!! Our volleyball team won the second round of semi finals and now we’re going to play next week for the Division final! If we win the game at 6:45, we’ll move on to play for the league Championship at 7:45. We’re so excited! This is the farthest we’ve gone, and true to form, we almost biffed it last night. In fact, we lost our first game of the match. But we’re fighters and we rallied to come back and win the match. Plus, I had some amazing saves ;). W00t!
 
Also exciting at vb was the news that I’ll be playing in not one league, but TWO next season (which starts in 2-3 weeks). I’ll be playing with my regular team in the competitive league and with a mix-and-match of teammates and other players for the rec league. I’m so psyched! I’d thought everyone had forgotten about the rec league and that I was just going to have to play in Comp, but now I get 2 nights of volleyball! Double your pleasure, double your fun!
 
After the game last night, I was so hyped up (a little Barry Manilow will do that to ya!) that I ended up going to the gym and running. It was nice to do that again, to have that energy back. Doesn’t feel so great today, but it was nice last night.
 
As for the title of this post, I’m eating pizza – REAL pizza from a pizza place, not just sauce on Ezekiel bread like I’m accustomed to – for the first time in MONTHS. OMG. IT’S SO GOOD. It tastes like the most wonderful thing in the world right now; like it’s the best pizza ever. Really, I’m sure it’s mediocre lukewarm pizza, but it makes me happy. Unfortunately, it’s not making my stomach so happy. Apparently my tum-tum is not used to all the grease anymore. But it’s soooooo worth it. Mmmm, num, num!
 
No big plans for the weekend, but I feel like being social for once… actually, I’d like to go for a drink or two after work, but I don’t have any money. I considered going to my parents’ house for the weekend, but a Saturday morning Strip District stroll sounds nice too. I guess it depends on the weather – it’s supposed to be warm, but I heard it was going to rain all weekend. I don’t do a rainy Strip. Yes, I am a baby.
 
Have a great Friday!

Inside my shell I wait and bleed

When you expect the worst, you’re almost never disappointed. In today’s case, this rings true.
I had to leave early to go to the dentist in order to figure out just what we were going to do about my crazy broken tooth. Let’s be honest – it’s been a while. In exact terms, it’s been nearly 2 years to the date. I do what I can remember, brushing and flossing-wise, but I’m never very optimistic when it comes time to take that trip to Sonic brush heaven. My expectations for today included being chastised for waiting 2 years to come back, and finding out I have to get my wonderfully impacted wisdom teeth out and unearthing about 10 cavities. Luckily, I over-exaggerated my expectations (though not by a whole lot). Aside from the gentle scolding, it was relatively pain-free and my teeth now look shiny and sparkly and uber-white (thank you, Sonic brush!). On the other hand, I was scolded for letting my wisdom teeth grow in so far (the one that broke off was a wisdom tooth that broke through and the other two are quite impacted… no one’s really sure where the fourth one has gone…) and I need to have surgery to get all 3 wisdom teeth out. Oh, and I have a tiny cavity. But just one, not ten. :)
Another thing that was interesting to note from la dentista is that my mouth is apparently tiny. Put that on a match.com profile and see how many replies you get. Yup, apparently my mouth is so small that I shouldn’t use adult toothbrushes anymore – I should get a kid’s toothbrush. That’s news to me. I’m kind of excited, though. I’m gonna go shopping for a cool Batman brush if I can find one. My toothbrush will be cooler than yours. :)
 
Speaking of buying new things, I got my new Vera Wang glasses last night! I got a call en route to the gym, which was perfect since the eye doc’s is on the way. However, when I got home and took out my contacts, I noticed that the glasses looked kind of large on my face. Like, the lens extends too far. I’m going to wear them to work either Friday or next week to see if anyone else thinks they’re too big – maybe I’m just used to my old (super-cute and small) glasses. We’ll see.
 
Plans for the evening are to rent a movie at redbox (they’re doing free Wednesday rentals now when you check out the redblog!), make dinner, watch my movie and relax. Tomorrow starts the volleyball finals, so I’ll need to be well-rested!
 
G’night!

it's been the worst day since yesterday

Although it’s freezing here in Pgh, I’m at least thankful that it’s not snowing. I’m predicting one more snow for the season, but I hope that we don’t even get that. Snow is my enemy.
 
I seem to be screwing up everything I touch, which is really not fun. I hope this loser streak ends at some point in the near future.
 
Shall I recap the past few days?
 
Sunday was really cool and fun – my parents came to visit and took me out to dinner at the Olive Garden. We also stopped at Moio’s and I was the recipient of both a slice of heavenly almond torte and a luscious walnut brownie. I’ve eaten a few bites of each every night. :) Normally I think it’s foolish to buy brownies from a bakery – they’re so easy to make at home and they taste just as great. But Moio’s… wow. They’re fudgy and cakey at the same time, with huge walnut pieces and awesome chocolate frosting. These brownies are totally worth every penny. My parents challenged me to get something new at the Olive Garden, so I tried the 5-cheese baked ziti. Healthy, I know (but I only ate about 1/3 of it and took the rest home). It was good, but I like a lot of sauce on my pasta and this was a little dry. When I reheated the rest for dinner last night, I added another ¼ cup or so of spaghetti sauce.
In addition to feeding me, my dad fixed my closet door since it broke moments before they arrived. He also installed a new light beside the closet since the closet door slammed into the light and effectively killed it. I needed a new one anyways – the old one was u-g-l-y. Not that the new one’s much prettier, but still… my daddy’s the best!!
 
Sunday night I forced myself to go to the gym. I had planned on going before my parents came, but they showed up extra early. By the time they left, I was stuffed and practically immobile. But I made myself go, and to my surprise, the volleyball net was set up!! I decided to be sociable and secured a spot on the team that was sitting out – which coincidentally had a PSL player on it! Not only was there a PSL player on my gym team, but he (I think his name was Eric… we’ll say it’s Eric, anyways) plays for the team that we’re up against in the semi-finals on Thursday! How cool is that?! It was nice to play with him (tee hee, that’s what she said) and I’m supremely confident that we can beat them Thursday. In fact, we already creamed them once, earlier in the season. Now watch, we’ll totally biff it up. :)
Also playing volleyball was a guy who I swear I’ve seen before, but I can’t remember where. Sure, it was probably the gym, but I feel like I actually KNOW him… and I kinda want to know him. He’s kinda cute, but not in an obvious way. And he seemed really funny and nice – he was the one who told me to just join in wherever I wanted. As is usually the case, I’ll probably never see him again and I’ll forget about him in a few weeks. But I can’t help but think that I know him from somewhere else…
 
Yesterday was pretty uneventful. Worked late, went to the gym, then went to Giant Eagle to rent The Wackness from redbox and to pick up a prescription for my upcoming dentist appointment. Ugh, I’m totally NOT looking forward to that. I have to leave work early tomorrow to go. As I think I said in my last post, something hard and crunchy fell out of my mouth while I was eating my homemade pea soup. Guess what that hard crunchy thing was? Yep, part of a tooth. Sunday night I discovered where it had come from (top left molar-ish region). Actually, I’m wondering if it’s not part of a wisdom tooth – the last time I was brave enough to visit the dentist he told me I’d need surgery to remove the wisdom teeth since they were starting to grow in… gee, I wonder why I didn’t go back… ? So tomorrow should at least be eventful in an awkward/uncomfortable way if nothing else… much like today, to tell the truth.
 
Today I’ve just been screwing everything up at work. Around 3:15 I just had to get out for a little bit because I thought I was losing my mind, so I grabbed Natalie and we made a quick stop at Trader Joe’s. It was SOOO nice just to leave work for 15 minutes. I should really take breaks more often.
 
Tonight is another gym night, followed by a quick detour to either Giant Eagle or Shop N Save to drop off last night’s redbox movie, making dinner (I’m attempting Emeril’s “Pan Roasted Salmon with Lentils”), packing tomorrow’s lunch (no more slacking this week!), getting a shower, and starting my taxes. I’ve finished making excuses and I can’t afford $140 to have H&R Block figure out my messed-up taxes (thank you, home-ownership!), so today I worked on printing all my 1098s and 1099s so that I’d have them ready to rock.
 
Hasta luego, and wish me luck on my taxes!